British Sea Power:
From The Sea To The Land Beyond:
Rough Trade:
Out Now:
★★★★★
It's safe to say that British Sea Power are not your average alternative pop hipsters, far from it. Having previously knocked out beguiling albums, started a club-night in their home-town of Brighton (Krankenhaus - not your average club-night either, by all accounts) and appeared on BBC's Countryfile programme (they love wildlife, bless 'em), BSP re-enter the soundtrack arena with incidental music collated and created for another documentary.
Whereas their first scoring work sat alongside Robert Flaherty's sea-soaked black and white cinematic odyssey Man Of Aran, this rather more accessible collection provides eye-watering simplicity to Penny Woolcock's endearing documentary about life by the sea, be it the coast itself, holidaying and traditional pursuits. Once again archive footage on the accompanying DVD reveals how Britain has been shaped by our shoreline - think Coast without Nicholas Crane rabbiting on with that swooping patronising tone and you're someway there.
Most of From The Sea is instrumental, drawn from previously issued tracks from right across their catalogue, although tracks like The Guillemot Girls have been specially written for the project. The instrumental title-track is as gorgeous as it gets and the entire album hangs together rather well, even if the mood dips a little in places. Frankly, the sombre passages add to the ambience and the experience - there's an almost abandoned feel to the likes of Heatwave and Red Rock Riviera, a fond longing of times passed.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more fitting, soundtrack to our friend and enemy the sea and its attendant people, buildings and wildlife.
Seek out the coloured-vinyl double-vinyl edition (contains DVD) - it's a beauty.
From The Sea To The Land Beyond:
Rough Trade:
Out Now:
★★★★★
Whereas their first scoring work sat alongside Robert Flaherty's sea-soaked black and white cinematic odyssey Man Of Aran, this rather more accessible collection provides eye-watering simplicity to Penny Woolcock's endearing documentary about life by the sea, be it the coast itself, holidaying and traditional pursuits. Once again archive footage on the accompanying DVD reveals how Britain has been shaped by our shoreline - think Coast without Nicholas Crane rabbiting on with that swooping patronising tone and you're someway there.
Most of From The Sea is instrumental, drawn from previously issued tracks from right across their catalogue, although tracks like The Guillemot Girls have been specially written for the project. The instrumental title-track is as gorgeous as it gets and the entire album hangs together rather well, even if the mood dips a little in places. Frankly, the sombre passages add to the ambience and the experience - there's an almost abandoned feel to the likes of Heatwave and Red Rock Riviera, a fond longing of times passed.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more fitting, soundtrack to our friend and enemy the sea and its attendant people, buildings and wildlife.
Seek out the coloured-vinyl double-vinyl edition (contains DVD) - it's a beauty.